Atleast for me they do. When I am the one adding something to the game (that I know I put there), it really has no immersive effect or even ruins it vs stumbling across something I didn't know was there before. Anyone else have this problem?

Depends on the mod.


Women with watermelon sized briasts = breaks immersion.


Texture packs = improves immersion.

Your argument only works if you made the mod yourself.. Most of the mods I use I didn't make myself.. and those I do make myself usually fix gameplay issues that annoy me, not environmental things.

Mods have added a great deal to immersion for me (in Oblivion).

Me too. That's why I only add things that change like the detail level (texture packs) or make horses faster, destruction stronger, etc. Crap that I though should've been there. I never add modded quests and such.

Nope. In fact I've found they have the opposite effect. Being able to craft my own arrows and break down armor into it's basic components only add to immersion for me.

Yeah, I guess I never use texture packs(They usually have large file sizes and I have limited download. Mods like adding your own castle or adding armor or even quests because I feel like I was the one that put them there and it doesn't feel like part of the game world.

Im not making an argument, its just my opinion. Not everyone posts something here to dispute an idea. I just think anything that I change about the game world makes me feel like I altered it and therefore I could not be part of it. And no it doesn't work only if I was the one that made the mods, even if I downloaded some one else's quest I wouldn't be able to get into it know I was the one that put it in the game.

No. I don't have that problem, OP.

If anything, the mods I make/use add to my feeling of immersion.

I don't like to use mods that affect the actual content of the game, but rather ones that improve graphics or have cosmetic effects, or adjust difficulty or realism. In Oblivion, the only way the game felt worth playing was with the help of 40+ mods, none of which added stuff that shouldn't be there or anything like that. Nothing broke immersion, quite the opposite - things like no ambient lighting in dungeons, regional bounty, realistic timescale, etc. made it feel like a completely different game, in a positive way. And the improvement in terms of immersion was just indescribable.

The best mods are the ones that don't feel like modded content.

INCREASE IMMERSION
Speed mods, which alter the speed at which you walk and run (as well as that of your horse) to make it more realistic
Higher resolution mods, which increase the textures so that they are not blocky
Reimagining mods, which make things look different than they do in vanilla (I like to use these for really ugly armours and weapons, of which there are a lot)
Lighting mods, which make the lighting more realistic
Face mods, which remove blockiness
Water mods, when done right (there's only one I've come across yet that is- Realistic Water)

DECREASE IMMERSION
Coin textures, which usually increase the crispness or wholly alter the way the septims look (but I like to use an Open-Mouthed Smiley Face coin mod, anyway; it's just really fun)
Nudity mods
Reimagining mods, which alter vanilla Skyrim so much that you're no longer playing Skyrim
Lighting mods which are poorly done
Face mods which alter what Bethesda intended for the races to look like
Water mods which are poorly done

Some mods do, some mods don't. I avoid mods that do.

I agree, those kinds of mods don't break the immersion. Its ones that add content that normally would not be there, say adding your own castle. Well I put the castle in the game and I didn't feel like I earned it. it was just there when it normally wouldn't be.

It really depends on the mod for example as the 2nd post said graphic improvements increase immersion while something like a nvde mod ruins it however some quest pack mods do break immersion because of no or poor voice acting while some don't it really depends on the mod

I do agree on that. I remember the feeling of emptiness after using the Construction Set in Morrowind to give myself godlike equipment right from the get-go. It just wasn't fun. And even if that's a bit of an extreme example, it kills a lot of a game's atmosphere for me if the actual content has been tinkered with. If you get the feeling in the back of your head that "this is not how the creators intended it", then it's just wrong. But things like the ones I mentioned before, those are all good.

Mods that Improve Immersion

1. Texture Packs - They make the world feel more realistic as better graphics do help immersion slightly.
2. Gameplay Alterations - Sometimes. Mods like Deadly Reflex do help immersion as it provides an awesome and realistic version of combat. They also can make the game a bit more challenging, which is always good.
3. Fixes - Obviously...
4. Faces - Less blocks on faces and more smooth facial textures make it look as though the face is an actual face
5. Weather mods - If it only adds stuff like better snow and rain. Meteor shower mods are a no no for immersion but a YES for awesomeness
6. Weapon and Armor Retextures - Nightingale Armor retextured? Looks so boss
7. Certain Quest Mods - Basically being able to join the Thalmor or do more stuff with the Civil War quests

Mods that Break/Ruin Immersion

1. Nudity - Although sometimes if done well, it doesn't break immersion, most nudity mods are basically eye candy only. Giant Watermelon briasts kills immersion
2. Crossover Mods - Assassins Creed weapons, My Little Pony, etc. Although some of them look awesome, they all break immersion
3. Modernized Homes - Anything that isn't of Dwemer Nature and has light switches are a no-no
4. Certain Quest Mods - Mostly quests that aren't voice acted. Not saying the quest mods are bad, just that it breaks immersion
5. Cheats - I do use cheat mods. Only for fun or out of convenience in case the game breaks or something. Definitely breaks immersion though
6. Weapon & Armor Mods - Yeah, many of them break immersion unless they're just added seamlessly into the game
7. Magic Spells - Only applies to Hilarity type spells. Midas Magic DOES NOT break immersion as much because it doesn't touch the lore at all.

Mods that Don't Touch Immersion but are still GREAT

1. Good Quest Mods - They have voice acting and they don't touch lore at all or simply mention lore once or twice but never break lore. A great example of this is Bladesong for Oblivion. Great quest line, decent story, and doesn't touch lore at all except one mention of Daedra and lore about Daedra history isn't very well established.
2. New Locations - Only applies to Forts, Small Islands, and other Dungeons. Lore about many dungeons that aren't of Ayleid or Dwemer origin isn't very well established and if the atmosphere is good, it doesn't break immersion and doesn't really add too much to it.
3. House Mods - By that I mean the ability to own a small fort or it adds a few things to a pre-existing house. Nothing like a giant castle.
4. Books - So long as the books are lore friendly or simply a joy to read (many story books don't need to be lore friendly)
5. Ability to have Multiple Companions - Really don't touch immersion but it's great to have!

It's really depend of what you use . I don't use every mod because it's would break the immersion for me. Some mod completely change the texture of the armor and it's does not blend well with the art style of the game and thus I won't use it . Or mod with super sharp texture .. No merci.
Or mod that make woman look like American Top-Model no thanks. But stuff like Nigh enhancing , some texture and FXAA change and little thing like that . I have over 25 installed and the game look much more better , clearer and in no way break my immersion.

The water pack for instance or the face texture does not mess with the art style and blend well with the game . But I did not install the nightgale texture mod because it's completely look bad with everything else.

Here's what I installed

4 GB Skyrim
Realistic Water texture
HD texture for Landscape (Sometime it's look weird but it's add to the game)
No more blocky face
Enhanced Night
Skyrim HD 2K
Distant terrain
Vurt Skyrim Flora
Enhanced Blood
Higher Quality Race
FXAA post injector (Remove the Blurryness of the game and give a 'witcher2 vibe. I was hesitant but it's does improve the game by a lot.
Detailed face(Just higher texture)
Realistic Smoke
Realistic Ember and fire

Better 'beast' race
Better human/Elves race The texture are really much better and the guy did many other mod That I do use.

I don't download stupid mod that make super sixy outfit for woman or anything that mess up with the lore of the game.